Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) is a plant belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae, and is a herbal medicine which has been used from about 2,000 years ago in Korea, China, Japan and the like in order to prevent diseases and to extend life span. The effects of ginseng, known to date, include action on the central nervous system, anti-carcinogenic action, anticancer activity, immune function regulatory action, anti-diabetic action, liver function-improving action, cardiovascular disorder-relieving and anti-atherogenic actions, blood pressure-controlling action, alleviation of menopausal disorders and osteoporosis, anti-stress and anti-fatigue actions, antioxidant activity and aging inhibitory effects (Recent Korean Ginseng, “Components and Effects”, the Korea Ginseng Research Institute, 56-112, 1996).
It is known that ginsenosides, which are representative of the physiologically active components of ginseng, are uniformly distributed in the above-ground and underground parts of ginseng, and particularly the content and composition of ginsenosides vary depending on ginseng parts, including ginseng roots, ginseng leaves and ginseng berries (Attele A S et al, Biochem Pharmacol, 58; 1685-1693, 1999). Particularly, it was reported that the ginseng berries showed better antidiabetic effects than those of the ginseng roots due to the components and contents thereof different from the ginseng roots (Dey L. et al., Phytomedicine, 10; 600-605, 2003).